The Houston Texans are the furthest thing from a historic, marquee legacy franchise. Houston operates in NFL betting odds obscurity, a trait sharps love. But Houston certainly gets better results than most of the mega brands. Like all things with the Texans, the hiring of DeMeco Ryans as head coach was noticed nowhere but in Houston. Initially, it was panned as a certain failure. Ryan has pulled off one of the best coaching jobs in the NFL with three consecutive playoff appearances, two division titles, and the best defense in football.
Quarterback CJ Stroud has been another important contributor to the Texans as the starter for all three of the current run of playoff seasons. But Stroud was off at times in the regular season and not quite at his previous levels. Houston fans and many gamblers are expecting the Texans to get past the Pittsburgh Steelers in Monday night’s road playoff game. Of course, Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season since taking over in 2007. However, he has failed to lead the Steelers to the Super Bowl since the 2010 season.
Many commentators and fans deride the Steelers as purgatory. They are good enough to make the playoffs, but not good enough to win it.
Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers
| Date and Time: | Monday, January 12, 2026, 8 p.m. ET |
|---|---|
| Location: | Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA |
| TV Coverage: | ABC and ESPN |
| Team | Spread | Total | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texans | -3(-110) | 39½ (-110) | -165 |  |
| Steelers | +3(-110) | 39½ (-110) | +140 | |
| ||||
Texans at Steelers Betting Odds Analysis
Houston opened as a 3.5-point favorite and Pittsburgh as a 3.5-point home dog. Houston is a -172 moneyline favorite, with Pittsburgh a +144 moneyline dog. The Texans and Steelers opened with an over/under total of 39.5.
A lot of sharps are willing to lay the points with the Texans based on vastly superior metrics. By contrast, squares will seek safe harbor with the Steelers as the home team, coming off a big win over Baltimore on NBC Sunday Night Football, to gain entry into the playoffs. Gamblers are deriding the Steelers as purgatory. They are good enough to make the playoffs, but not good enough to win it.
Houston Texans Team Overview
Last game, the Houston Texans won 38-30 against the Indianapolis Colts as 9.5-point home dogs. The game went over the total of 37.5. Now Houston is 12-5 straight up, 9-8 against the spread, and 6-10-1 over/under the Offshore betting total. Houston has covered one out of its most recent three games. Houston went over the total in three of its last four matchups.
Houston ranks 20th for total offense, 16th for passing, 23rd for rushing, 13th for scoring, and 2nd for fewest turnovers committed. In comparison, Houston ranks 1st in total defense, 5th vs. the pass, 4th vs. the rush, 2nd in fewest points allowed, and 3rd in takeaways.
Pittsburgh Steelers Team Overview
Last game, the Pittsburgh Steelers won 26-24 against the Baltimore Ravens as 4.5-point home dogs. The game went over the NFL Betting total of 41.5. Pittsburgh 10-7 straight up, 9-8 against the spread, and 10-7 over/under the total. Lately, Pittsburgh has covered four out of its most recent five games. Pittsburgh went over the total in four of its last five matchups.
Overall, Pittsburgh ranks 26th for total offense, 22nd for passing, 26th for rushing, 15th for scoring, and 7th for fewest turnovers committed. Pittsburgh ranks 25th for total defense, 28th vs. the pass, 12th vs. the rush, 17th for fewest points allowed, and 8th for takeaways.
Texans at Steelers Betting Trends
Later on, Houston covered the spread in three consecutive road games. The Texans went under the total in seven of their most recent nine games. The Texans lost only one of their last five games against the spread as a road chalk.
Pittsburgh covered the spread in four of its last six games as a home dog. The Steelers cashed in 13 of their last 18 home games. And then Pittsburgh went over the total in just one of its last five games at home.
Texans at Steelers SBG Free Picks
Last week, the Steelers beat a mediocre Baltimore team because of a missed field goal at the gun. Houston has the best defense in football and is the more complete team.
Texans at Steelers SBG Best Bet:
Houston Texans and Under the Total